August 2012 - Kimberley Bird Watching

A very exciting trip with keen English birders and a fast pace was set. We all worked hard and it paid off with some terrific sightings with a total trip list of 208 species. At Taylor’s Lagoon an excellent sighting of Black Falcon on our first morning set the standard followed by a lone Yellow-billed Spoonbill, a rare bird in the West Kimberley. However disaster struck, whilst we were driving to Willare Bridge only about an 1 hours drive out of Broome – a loud bang from under the bonnet of the land cruiser and a temp gauge in the red had my heart sinking. A major breakdown on the first day of a 16 day trip is my worst nightmare! The vehicle’s plastic fan blade had shattered but luckily apart from breaking the radiator cowling it had not touched the radiator itself, a miracle enabling us to nurse the cruiser to Derby where we replaced the fan and cowing and were mobile by the next morning. The Derby Wharf and mangroves were reasonably productive with Great-billed Heron being almost a sure thing at this location in 2002. We struggled a bit with mangrove birds initially but our persistence paid off with cracking views of male Mangrove Golden Whistler and Broad-billed Flycatcher, the Kimberley Flycatcher i.e. lemon breasted race, tormenti, we ended up having to kick it out of the way! a female White-breasted Whistler obliged us, the male shy and we made do with half views. A flock of 30 Star Finches on the roadside at the King Leopold Ranges really hit the spot and things were looking a whole lot better. Several remote camp spots about the Leopold Ranges saw our bird list grow with great views of Azure Kingfisher, White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Silver-crowned Friarbirds, Blue-faced Honeyeaters & Yellow-throated Miners. The widespread golden-backed race of Black-chinned Honeyeater was added to a list of 7 honeyeater species seen in the Bell Creek vicinity alone. Little Button Quail, Masked Finch, Crimson Finch & Pictorella Mannikins were all seen well on …

Your Guide - George Swann

George was born in England and emigrated to Australia in 1984. He has lived in Broome since 1989 and established Kimberley Birdwatching in 1993.

Through many years of fieldwork, George has gained tremendous knowledge of the natural history of the Kimberley, including bird distribution and behaviour, with the emphasis on rare, endangered and poorly known species.

George is a professional bird guide, with a passionate interest in the natural history and ecology of the region. He is a resourceful bushman and an infectiously enthusiastic travelling companion.